they freeze very well. roll them tight

Hmmmmm. I am not sure about freezing. The filling in these has cream cheese and i have never been able to freeze that without messing up the texture......

Hmm, I'd have to see your recipe, I was assuming Chinese style egg rolls, that people would later dip in that buffalo chicken dip.

No. Buffalo chicken dip in the egg rolls. My recipe is chicken, hot sauce,ranch, cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Usually baked and served with chips. I was going to fill the egg rolls with the dip and fry them,so it would be like a dip and chip in one....

If the filling is too wet, I don't think they'll fry well no matter when you make them. Rather than using ranch dressing, why not mix dry ranch seasoning into the cream cheese? You should also be able to do a dry seasoning for the hot sauce, but if you're using Frank's or similar blast your ears sauce, there shouldn't be enough per piece to make it too sloppy. The cream cheese will melt when you fry it and should be adequately gooey, but it will solidify as it gets cold.

If you really want to use the dip recipe as is, the best bet might be to fry them lightly the day before, enough to seal the wrappers and crisp them up some, but not fully brown. Then you can fry them again the day of, or heat them up on a wire cake rack in the oven, until they're warm and recrisped. Make sure they're fully cool after the (first) fry before refrigerating, or the internal moisture will make them soggy.

Y'know...it doesn't have to be eggrolls, especially if you'll have oven space, or can bring a toaster oven for reheating. The dip is meant to be baked, anyway, If you have a local restaurant supply, they usually have giant bags of little filo shells for not much money, ready to fill, Bake the dip in them the day before and reheat on site. Or make dough and mini-quiche them. Not crunchy, but will work. Or slice potatoes thinly, coat with oil and salt, and press into mini-muffin cups to crisp up, then fill with dip and bake. Or find a corn chip recipe to do the same. Or cut potato slices thicker, roast them and on site top with dip — leaving a wide margin to catch melt— and bake on site. Or hollow out halves on tiny potatoes with the ends cut off so they'll stand, roast/oven fry, fill and bake. Or make cups out of wonton wrappers, and oil them, and bake with dip filling.

Or...radical notion...if they love the dip that much, why not just make it as usual, and put mor variety into things to dip with?

I like the idea of the egg roll. Unfamiliar i did a google image search of the Buffalo egg roll and the dip. The egg roll people use a different ratio of ingredients. Adding shredded carrot and chopped celery, green onion, sometimes cabbage slaw. The ranch is a dip for the roll. That would keep the soggy 'wet' out of the rolled wrapper.

If you want it all inclusive in the roll, i would make the filling the night/day before, then roll the very cold filling just before travel. Even using half the ranch mixed into the cream cheese should keep it stiff enough. Similar plllog's idea using the dry ranch into the cream cheese.

The other option to prep and fry ahead, chill, then re-heat? ...i would have to do a trial run a week or so ahead with a rotisserie chicken meal. Make a few and see how it goes.

Since egg roll skins can be kind of delicate and fussy for make ahead... maybe consider doing taquitos instead. Small tortillas can hold up better for make ahead.

Since this post it has been on my list to explore furthur.

it is so hot here right now the garden will not be tended until late afternoon. Hoping for clouds and wind!

A recent road trip to visit family, i had some plans i did not get to. One was empanadas. The baked savory pastry wrapers. My Spanish market has both baked and fried. Sure enogh i saw Buffalo empanada recipes. Looking furthur into egg rolls, both un-fried and pre-fried do hold up depending on ingredients. Freezing ahead is most common. As they are often made for gatherings. A good do-ahead, like tamales, i also did not get to.

Anywho, this is a good recipe i bookmarked for my next visit. Link, HERE

Oh, this is by no means a baked vs fried dealio. This is a once a year party fare, that freezes nice. And baked is not like fish baked vs fried. The baked empanada dough i'm guessing has fats for the flaky pastry. Just easier to pop in the oven than deal with hot oil.

Why egg rolls? I’d make vols au vents.

I don't know. It was just an idea that came to me. I went over the menu again and with all the things I have to make, this time I will likely just make the dip in the crock pot when I get there and let it heat up as per normal. Most of the food will be finger food (what my nieces and nephews call 'fun food') and I thought an eggroll might fit. But if I cant be sure that it will work if made ahead then I wont risk it this time. I will have an oven to use obviously but it will be slam full of other things as lots of the nibbles are hot. And I really try to do as little possible at my parents house. The stress they and other family members put me under when I do these things for them is pretty extreme and I do not think my patience can take making little eggrolls and frying them fresh when I am dealing with it.

Sounds like a sensible plan! When it comes to it, serving a crowd is about doable.

amylou, I'm not sure if this would work at all, but your post made me think of it. The recipe came from a book I have called "The Meatball Shop Cookbook." Easy to use your own dip/dressing. These are tasty fingerfood. I serve these with some toothpicks and celery sticks. Also nice since the meatballs can be made ahead and frozen.

Mini Buffalo Chicken Balls

2 T. vegetable oil
4 T. butter
1/3 cup Frank’s RedHot Sauce (or any favorite hot sauce)
1 pound ground chicken, preferably thigh meat
1 large egg
1/2 celery stalk, minced
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Drizzle the vegetable oil into a 9×13-inch baking dish and use your hand to evenly coat the entire surface. Set aside.
Combine the butter and hot sauce in a small saucepan, and cook over low heat, whisking until the butter is melted and fully incorporated. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 10 minutes.

Combine the hot sauce mixture, ground chicken, egg, celery, bread crumbs, and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated.
Roll the mixture into 3/4 -inch balls making sure to pack the meat firmly. Place the balls in the prepared baking dish, being careful to line them up snugly and in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. The meatballs should be touching one another.
Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through. A meat thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 165°F.
Allow the meatballs to cool for 5 minutes in the baking dish before serving.
Serve with blue cheese dressing.

Blue Cheese Dressing
Dressing keeps 5 days in the fridge.

3/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup crumbled Blue Cheese
1/3 cup whole milk
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon salt or more to taste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Place the sour cream, blue cheese, milk, mayonnaise, salt, and vinegar in a medium bowl and whisk thoroughly until completely combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if desired.

I don't make or eat many deep fried foods, but have had good luck "frying" and reheating many crispy foods with an air fryer. Takes just a few minutes.

Good plan Amylou. Simplify and give them what they want to avoid the false complaint.

I mentioned before that i recently visited family and cooked all week...Dad made some comments about a salad. Clearly did not care for it but ate it. Next day asked about 'that good salad'. 🙄

I've noticed recently some decontruted dishes to avoid the fussy prep and rolling like cabbage rolls. I used to make fresh spring rolls for gatherings and always requested....really have to be in the mood. Fussy.

i buy frozen egg rolls ... bake them in the oven to heat them up. I freeze them homemade and have not had an issue.

Update:

I mixed the chicken dip as normal the night before the party,intending just to heat it and put it in the chafing dish setup. Today, on my way to my moms house I decided to stop and get some eggroll wrappers. I rolled them with the dip inside about an hour before I fried them, and they were starting to get a little pasty. Luckily, once fried they were crispy and perfect, the dip inside was perfectly heated through. I am not a fan of the dip itself, so I did not try them but they were all gone (I made i think 20) and I still had a pan of dip leftover. So they were a huge hit! The only problem is that now everyone insists that I no longer just make the dip and serve it. I HAVE to make it into egg rolls from now on. Luckily, I have some nieces and nephews who are willing to help that are old enough to where I dont have to supervise them, making sure no fingers are up noses or in mouths while preparing food. They can roll them next time. So I have a new(ish) party food. And that's a win to me! Thanks everyone for the advice.